Metal picket for fences



NiTED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

JAMES E. EMERSON, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

METAL PICKET FR FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,602. dated March 1,1887.

Application filed March 9, 1886. Serial No. 194,631. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES E. EMERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beaver Falls, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Pickets for I Fences, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide a sheet-metal corrugated and barbed picket for fences--aV picket that will be cheap, light, strong, and durable, and a picket that will supply a commercial demand as an article of trade and manufacture; and it consists in the construction of the picket and the means provided thereon for attaching it to the permanent parts of a fence, as will be fully herein after described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a long strip of thin corrugated sheet metal with barbs projecting on its front side and punched ont of the sheet metal, so as to have one side thereof left uncut from the metal picket, and a similar part punched toward the opposite side, or on the back of the picket, and shows how several pickets may be cut without waste of material from the saine long strip of metal. Fig. 2 represents a section or broken-oft` top part of a picket, and shows how the picket is attached to a horizontal rail or suspending-wire. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the picket seen in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the longitudinal corruga` tions or bends in the blank strip from which the finished picket is cnt. Fig. 5 shows a section of a fence with the pickets attached thereto.

A represents the metal picket, preferably of thin steel in strips, corrugated longitudinally in curved form, and pointed at its upper end, a., and crotched at its lower end, a, and having barbs a projecting from the convex side of the corrugations c4, and a center barb, a, punched to the opposite side in the center corrugatioma, of the picket A, as seen in Figs. l and 3. The sharp-angled crotch a at bottom of picket A shows that the long strip of corrugated thin metal is so cut to save metal, the crotch being made by cutting the top of another picket from this crotch, thereby saving much in the length of the strip from which the pickets are cut, as seenin Fig. l, where the upper point, a, of one picket is shown re moved from-the crotch aof the upper picket. rPhe points l and 2 of the crotch are utilized to strengthen the fence by driving them into the ground, as seen in Fig. 5, where y g/ represent the surface of the ground; or, if y y represent a timber sill, the points 1 and 2 will rest upon or may be slightly driven into such sill, as also seen in said Fig. 5, and in either case will tend greatly to impart lateral strength to the line of fence; or the pickets may be square at their bases and rest upon the ground or the wood sill.

In Fig. 5 a short section of a fence is shown in which the pickets A are secured to horizontal wires B, between the xed posts C C, by means of the barbs am; but where wood rails D D (shown in dotted lines between the fixed posts O) are used the pickets will then be secured to the rails D by means of screws or nails d. (Seen in Fig. 3.)

A picket for a fence, whether secured to horizontal wood rails between the fixed posts, or horizontal suspending-wires made of thin strips of steel, corrugated and barbed, is light and inexpensive, as well as very durable.

I am aware that corrugated metal fence rails with barbs thereon, pickets corrugated longitudinally, pickets barbed but not corrugated, have been in use,- but I do not claim such constructions alone; nor do I claim a metal picket when secured in a fence to a snspending-wire by a projecting clamping-barb, as such construction is in use; but,

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A thin metal picket having longitudinal corrugations a* and a5, sharp point c, crotch a', and barbs a and c, constructed in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. A longitudinally-corrugated metal picket having the point ci at one end and the crotch c and points l and 2 at the opposite end, substantially as described.

3. A thin metal picket having longitudinal corrugations cL and c5, sharp point a, barbs a and a, in the man ner and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. EMERSON.

Vitnesses:

NEWTON CRAWFORD, W. II. RUEE.

ICO 

